Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Don’t live in LA, or you just can’t be bothered to face the crowds and finish off your day with sore feet? Then you’re in luck. AutoGuide has done all the footwork (and the talkie talkie, and the video editing), to bring you the highlights from the 2011 LA Auto Show. From the Subaru BRZ STI Concept, to the 650-hp Shelby GT500 watch our video series to get the rundown on the most exciting vehicles at this year’s show.

Watch all of AutoGuide’s 2011 LA Auto Show videos below:

Continue Reading…

If there’s one thing you can guarantee in Southern California, it’s the opportunity for a bit of glamor and glitz. Probably not surprising then that Lamborghini, at a very exclusive gathering in Beverly Hills, elected to unveil the latest member of it’s Gallardo family – the LP550-2 Spyder.

Among the attendees that gathered at the world introduction of the new rear-drive convertible were actors Dominic Monaghan (perhaps best known for his role as Merry in Lord of the Rings), Ralf Moeller (Conan the Adventurer -TV series) and Lake Bell (Boston Legal, How to Make it in America).

Filippo Perini, who head’s up Lamborghini’s design centern, gave a rare glimpse at the company’s design process, by doing live sketches of the Gallardo LP550-2 Spyder during the event.

Further distractions included a fashion show, highlighting the new Automobile Lamborghini Winter Collection and music spun by DJ Cobra, which alternated between modern trendy club tunes and seriously old school New Wave, R&B and Hip Hop.

Stephan Winkleman, Lambo’s CEO essentially summed up the evening by saying that [the new 550-2 Spyder] “will appeal to a very special group of customers – many in Southern California – that enjoy a spirited driving style paired with the sheer exhilaration of open-air driving.”

Gallery: Lamborghini LP550-2 Spyder

See video from the reveal below:

Continue Reading…

If you thought that with the reveal of the Super Trofeo Stradale, Lamborghini was done spinning out versions of the Gallardo, you thought wrong. After a full schedule of press conferences at the 2011 LA Auto Show, Lambo has chosen an off-site venue for a private reveal of the Gallardo LP 550-2 Spyder – a drop-top version of the only rear-drive car the company makes.

Rather than just cutting free the front two wheels from the rest of the drivetrain, Lambo engineers have completely retuned the car’s suspension – due in part to the lighter overall curb weight. Even the aerodynamics were tweaked to account for the subsequent changes.

With plenty of drift capability in Corsa mode, Lambo insists this Gallardo retains the comfort and high-speed stability of its stablemates.

Powered by the same 5.2-liter V10 engine used in the rest of the Gallardo lineup, power output is rated at 550-hp, delivering a 0-62 mph time of 4.2 seconds and a top speed of 198-mph.

“With the Gallardo LP 550-2 Spyder, we are expanding the Lamborghini lineup with a purist model that adds yet another dimension of driving fun. This will appeal in particular to a very special group of customers that enjoy a spirited driving style and also like to experience the sheer pleasure of open- air driving,” says Lambo CEO Stephan Winkelmann “This special model with rear-wheel drive is a logical expansion of our lineup of spyder models with all-wheel drive.”

GALLERY: Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Spyder

See AutoGuide’s complete 2011 LA Auto Show coverage here

Watch video of the car below:

Continue Reading…

Audi drivers across the pond are getting the short end of the stick, or to be more precise: no stick at all.

What’s all this stick business, you may ask? The new version of the Audi S4 and S5 will only be available with an automatic transmission in Europe, cue the snickers and sneers from North American driving enthusiasts. It’s an unusual move, considering we’re usually the ones getting shafted with an auto-only option in cars where Europeans get a choice, but sure enough according to an article on Fourtitude, and Audi news blog, the decision is made.

This still may be a signal of things to come, but at least for the upcoming generation it seems the S4 and S5 will be available witha six-speed manual.

Barry Hoch, product planning manager for Audi of America confirmed that Europeans will lose the manual while North Americans will keep it. 100 percent confirmed, although I don’t know what other markets also get to keep it,” he said in an email to Fourtitude.

The move to S-tronic transmissions does make sense from a performance standpoint. Shorter shifts, better straight line performance and friendlier fuel economy sweeten the package in theory, but try telling that to someone as they slash through a manual gearbox on a winding road. You’re better off trying to debate Socrates.

Debates aside it’s hard not to see the future creeping in. Lamborghini and Ferrari have already adopted “automatic” dual clutch transmissions as their current standard. If the decision seems to be trickling down from the supercar market into Europe, we may expect to see similar changes in the future.

That, however, is conjecture. Focus on the positive for now, manual S4s and S5s are still available to those in North America who want them.

[Source: Fourtitude]

There’s something for everyone at Disney World – even exotic car enthusiasts. While your kids are having a blast on Space Mountain, you can tear up the Walt Disney World Speedway in a luxury supercar.

Launching this January (just in time for your winter vacation), the all-new Exotics Course at Walt Disney World Speedway lets you take out your ultimate dream supercar for a spin. The track is a hybrid design that takes a one-mile tri-oval backstretch and turn two that features a series of fast right and left hand turns inside of street-course style barriers. Drivers can test their driving skills in cars such as a Ferrari 458 Italia, a Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4, a Porsche 911 and an Audi R8. An instructor also goes along for the ride with you.

Prices range from $99 to $389 for these six-lap Disney “Thrill Rides.” You can book your ride on the Exotics Course website. Would the Exotics Course at Disney World make you more likely to take the family there for a trip? Let us know in the comments section below.

Lamborghini will reportedly move ahead with production of a LP550-2 Spyder variant, hitting the streets in a few months as a 2012 model year car. Unfortunately there aren’t many details surrounding the Spyder version of the LP550-2 (photo above) except that it will be “more demanding” and a “more emotional and gratifying drive”.

We can safely anticipate that an official announcement on the RWD LP550-2 Spyder will be made shortly, and we’re hoping there’s a possibility that it’ll make its debut at the upcoming 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show.

[Source: Teamspeed]

Underground Racing’s Ferrari 458 Italia has been twin-turbocharged and packs 700-whp. Lamborghini‘s Aventador LP700-4 delivers 700-hp from the factory, so obviously it makes perfect sense to pit the two Italian exotics against one another in one awesome video.

Though the “racing” in the video isn’t exactly perfect in terms of judging which vehicle is truly better or faster, it’s worth watching to hear the sonorous note of two if Italy’s finest exotics.

The 458 features Underground Racing’s Stage 1 bolt-on turbo kit taking the factory 562-hp to a 700-whp on 93-octane pump gas. If you’re not aware of just how big a difference there is between 700-hp and 700 horsepower at the wheels, this video should clear things up pretty fast.

Underground Racing has promised a rematch of the two in the near future, just as soon as it preps a twin-turbo setup for the Aventador’s V12.

Check out the video after the jump:

Continue Reading…

If you can’t afford the real thing, chances are you can’t afford the watch. Inspired by Lamborghini, a new watch designed by Adriao Valente will set you back a cool $35,100.

This magnificent timepiece, dubbed the AV-L001, is made from Karbonyte, an alloy that uses carbon fiber element. It comes in six bright colors: Nero Tartarus (Karbonyte color), Giallo Hyperion (yellow), Rosso Eos (red), Grigio Menoetius (slate gray), Bianco Ophian (white), and Green Icaria (green).

Taking its shape from the speedometer, AV-L001’s hours match the Arabic numerals on the black dials, with 3, 6, and 9 showing the hours. The movement of this watch is based on the mechanical Engine 001 movement. To protect your investment, it comes equipped with a sapphire crystal cover that is anti-reflective and scratch resistant. Strapping it to your wrist is rubberized strapping that features stitching to match the main casing of the timepiece.

The AV-L001 is a limited edition set with numbered models, so if you can afford the $35,100 price tag, put your order in now.

[Source: Oh Gizmo]

Volkswagen is experiencing unprecedented levels of success as for the first time in the German automaker’s history, 6.11 million vehicles have been sold in the first nine months of the year. If sales momentum continues, Volkswagen will easily surpass its annual target of 8 million vehicles sold for 2011.

Volkswagen Group Board member for Sales Christian Klinger takes an optimistic, yet more conservative stand, “We are also expecting very good delivery figures for the fourth quarter. We continue to keep a close eye on developments in global automobile markets, some of which are highly volatile.”

Areas of significant sales increases are 21.4 percent increase to 485,400 units in North America, 17.3 percent increase to 1.92 million units in Asia, 10.8 percent increase to 2.77 million units in Europe, and 9.5 percent increase to 700,900 units in South America.

Sales are broken down to 266,800 Seat vehicles, 664,800 Skoda vehicles, 973,200 Audi vehicles, 3.81 million Volkswagen vehicles and 389,900 VW Commercial vehicles.

Lamborghini will make a decision on its third model by the end of the year says CEO Stephan Winkelmann, and so far an SUV seems more likely than a super sedan.

Rumors have continued to surface that both a successor to the LM SUV or a production version of the Estoque concept would join the Aventador and Gallardo in the Italian brand’s lineup and the decision looks to favor emerging markets where a high-riding AWD machine would be better suited.

In an interview Lambo’s Asia-Pacific head Christian Mastra comments that in informal discussions with customers in markets like India, China and Brazil, the majority favor an SUV. Plus, Mastra comments, the brand already has history with trucks.

Lambo has already made it clear that this third vehicle is intended to be an every-day car. ‘‘The aim is to go for a car that you can use every day, not a fun car to use on Saturdays,’’ says Mastra.

As for other details, Mastra says the new vehicle will stay true to Lambo’s wild DNA, and could even use a turbocharged engine.

[Source: TheAge]